10/19 Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Florida Panhandle

This state park was apparently a turpentine collection area in the early 1900s, and became a private resort and finally a state park.  (Need to check dates.)  It is located on Santa Rosa Beach about 10 miles west of Destin on Florida's Panhandle.  Like the rest of the panhandle, it has the extremely white, soft sand beaches and crystal clear water of the Gulf of Mexico.  

Here are some photos of my campsite and the state park.   First, here is my campsite.  I ended up not getting the spot I thought i was getting because the map was confusing and did not include all the sites.  The fourth site from the loop entrance, was really the fifth site, so it was too shady for me.  Most people like to camp in shady places, but I like open sites or at least sites that face southwest so I can get a satellite signal.  It was hard, but I went cold-turkey on TV for five whole days!! 

  

 

 

Many of the sites were tucked far back into woods.  

 

 

One disadvantage of this state park is that the beach is a very long way from the campground, and there is no parking near the beach.  Luckily, they have a shuttle that runs every 30 minutes.   

 

 

 

Love all the warning signs at the beach.  Don't think any of them get read, however.  

 

 

Beaches and dune areas protect the land from hurricanes, so it is forbidden almost everywhere to walk on the dunes.  Instead, boardwalks are provided, and I like them because it is so much easier to walk on them than trudge through the sand.   

 

 

I dunes area is very interesting.  Only a few human prints, but lots of animal prints to look at, as well as unique dune vegetation.  And you can see that these were pretty wide dunes. 

 

 

I took this photo as an example of one of the little holes dug on the  dunes.  The hole was really  only about 3-4" in diameter, but the prints around it look like a crab lives in it.  I watched it and some other similar holes, and no one came or went, so I have no idea who lives here.  (Later found this video of one of what I think these are:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvKZT4V06BQ . 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Long walk, but finally the beach is in view! 

 

 

The beaches at state parks are usually a lot less crowded than the ones at the big hotels in cities like Destin.  

 

 

Water on the panhandle is amazingly clear with white, white sand.   

This state park also has an area with cabins which are really mobile homes.  They are fully furnished and have AC as well as screened-in porches. 

  

On to Grayton Beach in the morning!!  

 

10/13 T.H. Stone Memorial State Park, San Blas Peninsula

I camped here way back in 2014, and at that time, the campground was old and had no hookups other than electric.  It was also hard to get into spots because of scrub that had grown up over the years.  However, as with St. Andrews State Park Hurricane Michael hit this part of the Florida Panhandle in 2018 and changed everything.  First, it broke across the long San Blas Peninsula where this state park is located, cutting the highway and all access for a long period until the roadway could be reconstructed and a storm buffer of big rocks installed.  Almost everything on the peninsula, including homes, businesses, and utilities had to be replaced.  

This meant that this state park also was closed for several years as it was completely reconstructed with new and much larger campsites and cabins, all brand-new and much more up to modern standards!  I think it has become one of my favorite places now!     

 

 

 

As you can see from the following photos I took as I drove in, you can see that there are only a few living Southern Pine trees and a lot of dead standing trees that have been left for birds and other wildlife.  It might look a little barren and harsh until you notice how much of the undergrowth has regrown over the past few years.  Thousands of young pine trees and palms have sprouted on their own and are now about 5-7' tall.  In another ten years, it will look fully forested!  

 

 

The tall dead trees, by the way, are used by ospreys during breeding seasons, and the pines are preferred by eagles.  Other birds, like woodpeckers and owls like the dead trees as well, so the sparse trees still provide homes for wildlife.   

 

 

 

ALL of the new campsites are large enough for the biggest RVs and include electric, water, and sewer!   They are clean and well-designed, to say the least.  This one was mine. 

 

 

 

 

And as with all Florida state parks, there are modern restroom and shower facilities that also include a washer and dryer.   

 

Just behind my site is a nature trail.  Lots of young pines and other trees and shrubbery.  None of this was planted, by the way.  Some of the young plants survived the hurricane and others sprouted once the overgrowth was removed by the winds. 

 

 

 

  

There is also a boardwalk down to the beach.  It is only a few hundred feet, but as in many places in Florida, it is illegal to walk on the sand dunes because they protect the land from wind and surf during hurricanes.   

 

 

 

Looking back towards the campground and nearby buildings from the boardwalk.

 

 

Looking down the dune area to the far end of the peninsula.   

 

 

The beach!!  With the sugar-white sand typical of the Florida Panhandle.   

 

 

  

 

 

  

And some crystal-clear water at low tide! 

 

 

 

10/9 St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, FL

Almost caught up.  Here is a summary of what happened on my trip south to Florida,  I left my dentist office on October 1 after getting stitches removed and headed south.  First stop was near Columbus, OH, and then had three very long driving days to make it to the panhandle of Florida.  Normally, I like to drive about 200 miles per day or even less, but I had reservations waiting for me, and I was really anxious to get there, so the next day I drove 28 miles to London, KY, then a whopping and record-breaking (for me) 382 miles to West Point, GA.  

I managed this by getting up early and taking a rest or two along the way.  I also made no stops for groceries or sightseeing and stayed in places right off the freeway, so as not to waste time.  This left me only 266 miles to make it to my first stop in Florida, T.H. Stone Memorial State Park on the Gulf just east of Panama City, FL.  I had made and cancelled reservations a couple of times so was able to spend only three days here, but it was very pleasant weather here, and I enjoyed meeting and visiting with a very nice couple.  (I took almost no photos here because I was working on getting my income tax done.)

In fact, I enjoyed visiting so much I stayed out too late the last night and ended up with a ton of mosquito bites.  I have since tossed out all my old repellents and replaced them with newer ones, plus I am going to be more careful to spray my legs and arms before I go outdoors in the future!   

Next, I headed about 65 miles west to St Andrews State Park, which is just south of Panama City.  I had reservations for five days here, and was pleasantly surprised that the campground was so different than it had been when I first came here about 10 years ago.  At that time, the campground was old, with small and cramped sites being very difficult to get into with my motorhome, so I swore I would never come back.  As most campers know, many of the state parks in this country were built 40-50 years ago to meet the needs of campers at that time.  Since then, more campers are choosing trailers or motorhomes instead of staying in tents.  In addition, trees and shrubs have grown bigger and have partially filled in campsites.  Since one of the goals of state parks is preservation of nature, no one likes to cut growth back or trim thees.  Also, when state budgets are stretched, recreation funding is often cut. 

However, once in a while Mother Nature takes things into her own hands and cleans things up.  In 2018, Category 5 Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle and did a lot of damage to homes and property, but it also almost completely destroyed St. Andrews and T.H. Stone Memorial State Parks, blowing or washing away many of the trees and brush!  Now both of these state parks have been completely rebuilt!  First, St. Andrews!

From a campground where sites were very small and hard to get into, all the sites are now much larger and have full hookups, meaning they have electric, water, sewer, and even internet access in the updated campground.   Instead of dirt, the sites are easily identified by edging timbers and contain clean gravel.   

   

New bath houses have been built, and all contain handicap facilities and washers and dryers.  

 

 

Roadways are wider with bike/golf cart paths alongside the camp roads.   

Sites are large enough for the biggest of campers and motorhomes.  The spots are also wide enough for some campers to park boats alongside their rigs.  

In addition, many of the sites back up to the lagoon with views of the city across the water.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the main state park roads have bike/golf cart trails along the side, as shown here.  They are in the process of adding a barrier between the two, so in the meantime, it is easy to make a mistake and drive on the wrong road!    

 

 

The last day I was here, I drove to the beach area and took some photos.  These people are carrying stuff to spend the day on the beach. There is also a small store and place to buy tickets to a ferry to a nearby shelling island. 

 

 

And a very nice fishing pier.  

 

 

The sand is the sugar-white stuff found on nearly all the Florida Panhandle beaches.   It is also a very large beach and does not seem crowded.  

 

 

 

This was taken with my telephoto lens.  You can see that it is a bit more crowded down by these condos and hotels.   

 

 

 

It is amazing how clear the water of the Gulf of Mexico is here.  You can see every ripple in the sand and every tiny fish swimming around.    

I walked out to the end of the pier and enjoyed watching the fish and the seagulls diving for them.     

 

 

More views of the beach.